sabas) (c.1175-c.1235. Patron saint of Serbia. The third son of the Serbian monarch Stephen Nemanya, he retired in 1191 to the monastery of Mt. Athos. Five years later his father abdicated and joined him. Sava and his father founded the monastery of Khilandari which became a center of Serbian culture, and Sava remained there until 1208 when he returned to become active in political affairs. He was the first archbishop of an autonomous Serbian Church, and was responsible for the organization of the Serbian Church and the building of many churches. He died in Bulgaria while returning from a trip to Palestine.